Chapter NineteenGoing Home, Pt. 1
Not sure what kind of greeting I expected to receive once we arrived at the ranch owned by the Callahans.
But it definitely wasn't a passel of men, women and children descending on us both.
Jo takes it all in stride, naturally. These are her people, after all.
I assumed they'd be slightly suspicious of me, considering that they had never met or spoken to me until today.
I was wrong on that account too.
"Well, look what our Jo-Jo brought home!" Those words came from a woman who's clearly Jo's mother. She has the same auburn hair and emerald eyes. And she wraps me in a suffocating hug before I can even get my bearings. "You must be the famous fiancé we've been hearing absolutely nothing about."
Jo stands beside me, clearing her throat. "Mom, this is---"
"Sweet girl, we know exactly who this is," declares an older man with a wrinkled face and kind eyes. The guy strides up to me, his posture confident, and extends his hand. "Been following your career for years now, son. Hell of a ride you had in Deadwood last month."
I shake his hand, trying not to look as confused as I feel. These people are treating me like family, and I've been on their property for all of two minutes. Back home, it takes at least three generations and a blood oath to get this kind of welcome. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."
"Sir?" Jo's mother laughs, and it sounds identical to her daughter's laughter when she's genuinely amused rather than putting on that polished pageant smile. "Honey, you're practically family now. Call me Mae, and this old goat is Hank, my big strong honeybun."
"Old goat?" Frank shakes his head slightly, though he's grinning. "Mae, give the boy some breathing room. He looks like he's about to bolt."
"I'm fine," I lie, because the truth is I do feel like bolting. Not because of Jo's parents. It's because I see even more people pouring out of the house, the barns, and the pasture out back.
A younger woman who looks a lot like Jo sidles up to me, wearing a knowing grin. "So tell me, mystery man, how exactly did our Jo manage to keep you secret for so long? She's terrible at keeping her mouth shut about anything important. I'm Jolene's baby sister, by the way."
Jo sets her hands on her hips. "I am standing right here, Casey. And you jabber so loud nobody could possibly miss anything you say."
"I'm talking to the hottie, not you."
"His name is Clay McKendrick, not 'the hottie.' What, have you regressed to being twelve years old?"
"Ooh, must be true love if Jo-Jo's this protective of you, Clay." Casey winks at me. "You look like the type who might actually give us some straight answers."
I smile awkwardly, feeling like I'm in a spotlight I never auditioned for---with a sassy girl calling the shots. "I'm not sure what answers I'm supposed to have, to be honest."
"Like how you two met?" Casey prompts, sidling closer. "Or when you decided to get hitched? Or why we're only meeting you now when the wedding's supposedly right around the corner?"
"Casey," Jo warns, her voice dropping to a dangerously low octave while she squints at her sister.
I clear my throat and offer up the vaguest answer. "Well, when you know it's right, you just...know."
"That's right," Mae chimes in, looping her arm through mine and steering me toward the house. "Love doesn't always follow a timeline. Now come on in, Clay. I've got fresh lemonade and a peach cobbler that's still warm from the oven."
My stomach growls just thinking about food. And peach cobbler? Mm-mm-mm . My mouth is already watering.
Before I can protest, I'm being swept along by Mae's enthusiastic hospitality. Jo trails behind us, throwing me an apologetic smile and mouthing the words, "Sorry."
As we walk inside, the scents of cinnamon and other savory delights fill my nostrils. My stomach growls again.
"You hungry, son?" Hank asks, appearing at my other elbow. "Mae's been cooking all morning, ever since Jo called to say she was bringing you by."
"You didn't have to go to any trouble, sir." Ranch food back home is beans, beef, and whatever vegetables survive our temperamental growing season.
"Trouble?" Mae laughs again and kisses my cheek. "Honey, feeding people is what we do. Besides, I've been dying to meet the man who finally caught our Jo's eye. Sit, Clay, sit!"
She gestures to a large wooden table surrounded by mismatched chairs, each one worn by time and maintained with love.
Jo huffs. "Ma, please don't talk to Clay like he's a farm dog."
"When did I do that, Jo-Jo?"
"Just now. You told him 'sit, Clay, sit.'"
Mae waves away Jo's complaint. "Oh, hogwash. Clay knew what I meant, didn't you?"
"Sure did."
I do like Mae told me to, and Jo slips into the chair beside me, her knee brushing mine under the table.
That small point of contact shouldn't feel as reassuring as it does.
My head seems to be spinning, but I think that's just confusion.
I never got the chance to prepare for this meeting, and after what Jo said about her father, I'm a little confused.
Hank has been pleasant to me. The ogre Jo described is nowhere in sight.
"So, Clay," Hank says, settling onto a chair across from us while Mae bustles around the kitchen, "Jo tells us you've got a spread up north?"
"Yes, sir---I mean, Hank." The formality slips out automatically. "McKendrick Ranch. Been in my family for generations."
Casey plops down on my other side, still eyeing me like I'm a puzzle she's determined to solve. "And you met our Jo-Jo at..."
"The Tampa Rodeo last year," I explain. "She was competing in barrel racing, and I was in the bronc and bull riding events."
"Ooooh, love at first ride," Casey teases, wiggling her eyebrows.
Jo shoots her sister a withering look. "It wasn't quite that simple."
"Never is with Jo," a deep voice adds as a tall man who could only be Jo's brother enters the kitchen. He extends his hand to me. "I'm Levi, the oldest Callahan kid and chief wrangler of this bunch of yahoos."
Jo feigns a scowl. "Speak for yourself."
Mae sets a glass of lemonade in front of me. I take my first sip, and I'm hit with a flavor so sweet it could probably dissolve a tooth on contact. "Jo was absolutely determined to stay single forever after that horrible business with---"
"Mom," Jo interrupts. "Can we not talk about Tyler? My ex-husband is off limits at family gatherings, remember?"
"Sorry, honey, I figured Clay ought to know."
Right then, a dozen or so more people start showing up---cousins, aunts, uncles, and what looks like half the county filing through the front door like they've been summoned by some invisible dinner bell.
My eyes widen as the kitchen fills to capacity, and even more folks gather in the halls and living areas and who knows where else.
I give my fiancée a sideways glance, raising my brows briefly.
Her face cinches up, and she lifts her shoulders, spreading her hands in a "sorry" gesture.
I pat her thigh, smiling so she'll know I'm not upset.
"Word travels fast around here," Jo hisses under her breath. "It's not usually like this, but everybody's thrilled to meet you."
"Clay McKendrick!" booms a voice from the doorway. A barrel-chested man with silver hair pushes through the crowd. "I'll be damned. Watched you ride that devil bull in San Antonio two years back. Thought for sure you were gonna end up eating dirt, but you hung on."
I stand up to shake his hand, grateful for familiar territory. "Thank you, sir, I remember meeting you in San Antonio. That bull was Widow Maker. Nearly broke my ribs, but it was worth it for the score."
"Uncle Pete runs the feed store in town," Jo explains quickly. "He thinks he knows everything about everybody's business."
"Damn right I do!" Uncle Pete slaps me on the back---hard. "Boy, you got yourself a real firecracker there. Jo's been breaking hearts and taking names since she was old enough to date."
"I have not been breaking hearts," Jo protests, her nostrils flaring like a bull's.
"What about that Henderson boy? And the preacher's son? And---"
"Uncle Pete, I swear I will put salt in your coffee tomorrow morning if you don't hush your mouth."
The old man chuckles and settles into a chair that creaks under his weight. "She's feisty, this one. You gonna be able to handle her, son?"
I glance at Jo, who's glaring at her uncle like she's plotting his demise. "I'm learning that handling Jo isn't as difficult as I expected."
She smacks my thigh, but her eyes glitter with humor.
More introductions follow in rapid succession.
There's Aunt Birdie who insists on pinching my cheeks, Cousin Ray who wants to arm wrestle, and at least six kids whose names I lose track of immediately.
Every single person seems genuinely excited to meet me, which only makes the knot in my stomach tighten further.
"Alright, everybody, give the man some air!" Mae calls out, wielding a wooden spoon like a weapon. "Clay's not going anywhere, so you can all get your turns to interrogate him later. Right now, we're gonna eat."
The food is amazing, and the company is even better. We wind up dining outside where the Callahan clan sets up enough picnic tables to serve the entire United States Army. I learn that Jo's brother served in the Air Force for ten years, and that a distant cousin became a congressman.
Holy cow, this family is incredible.
After two more days with the Callahans, Jo and I say our goodbyes and drive straight to Montana and the McKendrick ranch. I've been looking forward to seeing my family again, and I can't wait to introduce them to Jolene.